5 Farmers’ Market Shopping Tips

The farmers’ market continues to find fertile ground in American soil. The clean eating push, local food scene and Paleo diets have led the way. There are nearly 6,000 farmer’s markets in the US, triple the number of 1995. Find your local stands here.

Not only are there more markets and co-ops; more people are breaking from the grocery store as their sole source of produce and inhaling that good earth smell. There’s also a social element that is missing from food deliveries and supermarkets. One sociologist estimates there are ten times the number of conversations in farmers markets than there are in the grocery aisles. Here’s what to look for and what to ask when you head to your local stand.